Fading Light
by athrunzala
Summary: Part 3 0f 3 in the Midgar Demons story line. Yuffie has left, or has she? Final Piece of the Trilogy. Rated M for Language and Violence.
1. Whispers

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII.

Warning: I actually hope that you know this by now. Violence and Language throughout. Additionally, Vincent will probably be very OOC for this first installment.

Fading Light

By athrunzala

Formation 1

Whispers

"I know that, and you know that, but he just won't listen!" This was the fifth time in two days that they had had this argument. And the brunette was sick of it. She stormed out of the room, leaving her opponent standing alone. "Where are you going?" "Out to retrieve him!" "Tifa, wait." "No, Cloud. You say he'll return on his own. That's total bullshit!" That said, she stormed off to the car that was waiting for her out front.

At the cave, Vincent was sitting, reminiscing. As he sat, a solitary tear rolled down his cheek. He had lost the two women that mattered most to him. First to go had been Lucrecia, who had died giving birth to Sephiroth. And now… Tears filled his crimson orbs as he thought about the two of them. "Lucrecia. Tell me. Why?" "Vincent?" The gunman snapped around, Cerberus in hand when he heard the voice.

"What are you doing here?" The brunette raised her hands, palms forward, as if to indicate that she meant no harm. "Vincent, I came to check on you. You have us all worried. Why don't you come to my house?" Vincent looked back at her, confusion in his eyes. "Why would I do that, Tifa?" She looked back at him as he returned to sitting with his back to her. "It'll do you some good to have human contact. After all, you've not picked up your phone in eight years. Your son is getting quite tall. Please, Vincent, come home." Reluctantly, he rose and followed her out.

Back in Edge, Marlene and Denzel were watching Gin and helping him with his homework. While Marlene was a whiz at science and history, Denzel was double checking his math. "Why isn't my dad here?" Gin asked, scratching his black and red hair with his right hand while his left held the pencil that was busy fixing the math errors that Denzel had found. "Well, he's… um… busy right now," Marlene said, looking over to Denzel for support. Explaining things to a teenager was harder than she thought. "But," the boy looked up, a longing to understand clearly visible in his steely eyes. "Well," Denzel said, while running his hand through his unruly copper hair, "Sometimes, adults just have to do things. Like when Cloud disappears for months at a time. We all know that he'll come back." "But…" Marlene went into the bar and put her head in her hands. Denzel looked at Gin. "I'll be right , back. Okay, buddy?" The boy looked up at his friend and smiled.

"Marlene, what's wrong?" When she looked up, it was obvious to Denzel that she had been crying. "Denzel, this isn't our parents that we're talking about. This is his dad. Vincent will disappear like this for years at a time. This isn't the first time that this has happened." She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "Marlene, he'll come back. He has to. Mom went to get him."

Even though his last name had been Strife for years now, Marlene just couldn't get used to Denzel calling Tifa and Cloud mom and dad. It was shortly after their wedding that Tifa and Cloud had chosen to adopt him. And then, he had a family again. And Marlene could see him more often, since Barret was constantly leaving her at home to go out with his prospecting company.

Denzel sat down and took Marlene into his arms, pulling her into a hug. This was the state of things when Tifa walked through the door. "Denzel, is she… okay?" Her fears were calmed when Denzel gave her a nod. "Alright, as long as she's fine. Gin?" Denzel looked back at her. "He's in the back room. His homework should be just about done now, so…" he fell silent as Vincent walked through the door, his attire no less ragged than it was the last time he was seen. As he walked through the room, his cloak flowed behind him much like a sheet in the wind. Upon entering the back room, he was greeted not by a small child, but a boy who was already starting to look more and more like his mother, except for the hair and eye color. "Dad? That really you?" Vincent looked down at him and smirked, which was about all the smiling that anybody could ever get out of him.

As the boy ran over to hug him, Vincent stooped slightly, as to prevent the boy's knees from hitting Cerberus. He looked up at Tifa. "Did you keep them?" The brunette pointed to the back door. "They're all in the basement. I didn't want him down there until you felt he was ready." The gunman looked at his son. "Come with me. There's something that I want to show you." And, taking him by the hand, Vincent led Gin into the basement.

Upon arrival, the boy's eyes lit up. He was standing in a room that was filled with guns, knives, and ammunition. "What is this place?" the gunman led the boy over to the only clear table in the room, and pulled over two chairs. "This is where I was keeping any extra parts for my weapon. Your mother kept hers in Nibelheim. That door on the left leads to an underground dock for a submarine. The other end is just outside of Nibelheim. All of the things you see here are going to be moved to my house there unless you think we should live here, in Edge."

"Dad, when I was born, we lived in Nibelheim, right? Well, I wasn't to live here, in Edge, with Marlene and Denzel. They're getting married next month." Vincent ran it through in his head. "Alright. We'll stay here. You've made the choice." As Gin turned to leave, Vincent said his name. "Yes, dad?" the gunman shook his head. "You can call me Vincent if you like. You see that box over by the door? It's contents are for you. I had it made special." As the boy opened the box, he was greeted by the sight of his own custom weapon. "But, dad. I …" Vincent put a finger to his mouth. "Not a word. Next week, you leave with me to go to the wilderness around Nibelheim. I'm gonna teach you how to properly use that thing. How's that sound?" Gin placed the gun back in it's box and ran over to his father, giving him a hug that would rival stop magic. As the two left the basement, Tifa knew that Gin was going to enjoy having Vincent for a father, whether he liked it or not.

Back in the bar, Vincent was greeted by another child was about three or four. "Mommy, who's that?" she said with all the innocence a child should have in her voice. Tifa went over to her and picked her up. "That's Gin's daddy. He's one of mommy and daddy's friends." The child smiled, and Tifa put her down. She then toddled over to the gunman almost as though Tifa had told her to do it, and looked up at him.

"Hello, Mr. Gin's-daddy." As he looked down at her, Vincent couldn't help but let a full smile slip through his "tough-guy" appearance. He leaned down and picked her up. "Hello there. Who are you?" she looked back at him and pushed the collar of his cloak down so she could see the source of the voice that she was hearing. He smiled at this, and asked again. "What's your name?" seeing that he meant her no harm, she answered with a resounding, "I'm mommy's little angel!" This caused him to chuckle a little, as well as getting Tifa to say, "Her name, Vincent, is Joyce. She's more like me than Cloud, but she's fascinated by her father's weapon collection." Vincent looked back at Tifa as he put her daughter back on the floor. "I'll be back next week. I promise. I just have to arrange a few things first." And he walked out the door.

At Cloud's house in Nibelheim, the blonde had just returned from the store. He was stocking up for Marlene's wedding. Additionally, he had picked up Denzel's birthday present. He opened the crate and removed the contents. Taking care not to slice his hand open, the blonde took a few swings with the beautifully crafted blade. _"The perfect size and weight for him."_ he thought. Looking around, he spoke out loud. "Better go and get him." And he got on Fenrir and rode off to meet Cid, who was taking him to Edge to pick up Denzel.

Just outside of town, Cloud was attacked by a winged creature that he had never seen before. Luckily, Cid picked up on the locator beacon that he had installed in the motorcycle, and flew in low enough for Cloud to take a flying leap into the airship. "Damn! What the hell was chasin' ya, Spiky?" Cloud looked up to see Barret walking across the hangar towards him. "don't know. Thought you might." The prospector scratched his head. "Nope. Notta clue. They attacked my prospecting area as well. Propeller brains rescued me. You goin' to collect Denzel?" The swordsman nodded an affirmative and left to inform Cid about his sighting.

Back on the ground, the creature had landed and shifted form. As a hooded figure emerged from the spot where the beast once stood, he was met by a man with shoulder length white hair, who immediately dropped to one knee. "How might I serve you?" the hooded figure looked down on him. "Arise, Kaijar. Go and summon our brethren. The time for their destruction is at hand. Once you have accomplished that, meet with me. We shall then begin the next phase." Kaijar stood, bowed, climbed onto his motorcycle, and rode off, leaving the hooded man on his own. "Now… Where shall I begin?"

Back in Edge, Gin was practically walking on air. He finally sees his father after eight years, and he is given a weapon. When Cloud pulled up in front of the bar, he beat Denzel to the door by a full two minutes. However, he was disappointed when the blonde stepped into view. "Denzel, are you ready to go?" When he got a nod from the soon to be swordsman, the two left and rode off.

Denzel was not gone more than five minutes when Vincent and Reno came flying through the front window, coming to a halt just short of the reconstructed bar. "Dad, what's going on?" Vincent looked at his son and gave a simple command. "Take Tifa and go downstairs. Don't forget your gun. Release the safety, point, and shoot. And leave the door unlocked." Gin nodded and ran out of the room.

"Gin, what's going on?" Tifa had been taken by surprise when Gin ran through the door and grabbed her arm. "We have to go!" Tifa's expression worsened. "What about Joyce?" Gin pulled out his cell phone and handed it to her. "Push three and then send." Not wanting to question his logic, the brunette did as she was instructed. "This is Rude. What's going on?"

If ever there was a voice that could reassure her, it was Rude's. "Rude, this is Tifa. Can you stop by the bar and get Joyce to safety? We're under at…" "I know," the Turk said. "I was waiting for Reno to get back here from the area when he radioed in a distress call. I'm already there. She's upstairs, right?" "Yeah. Please, get her to a safe location." I know just the place." As soon as she had thanked him, she hung up and returned the phone to the teen. "Where are we going?" the boy looked back at her. "To someplace safe." And they rounded the corner and sped down the stairs. Once in the basement, Gin picked up and loaded his gun.

"What the hell is going on here?" The brunette was furious. Gin looked back at her, his face looking more like Vincent's than it ever had before. We need to get to Nibelheim. There's nothing more for us here." Shocked by the sudden transformation from boy to man that had occurred, Tifa followed the teen into the tunnel behind the door.

Back on the surface, things were progressively getting worse. Cloud and Denzel were tied up helping Cid, so Reno and Vincent had to rely on each other for defense. That was, of course until Rod and Chrys arrived. Once they got there, the quartet was attacked by a hooded figure. During the fight, the person's hood fell away to reveal a middle aged man who looked a lot like Yazoo. "Why don't you just lay down your weapons and submit to our order?" He then reached into his cloak and removed a modified EMR. Upon its release, a blade slid out on one side and locked into place.

Vincent tapped Reno on the shoulder. "I'm gonna duck out momentarily." "Go for it, buddy. We got this one. Hey, Rod. You ready?" The other red-head gave an affirmative, and the two jumped into action, while Chrys followed Vincent.

"Where the hell are you going? The trouble is that way!" The gunman glared at the woman. "I know that. Just help me grab the stuff in this room. You're gonna learn how to shoot really fast." The Turk was puzzled about this until she saw the basement walls. "HOLY SHIT! WHERE THE FUCK DID ALL THIS COME FROM?" Vincent glared at her and she shut up. "You see that pistol on the wall? You can have it." Not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Chrys took the gun without question.

When she looked over at Vincent, she noticed that he was sending things down a hall on shielded carts, as well as holding a new weapon. "What in the hell is that?" the ex-Turk looked at her. "The one on my back is called the Death Penalty. The other one is called Callysto. The latter I made myself." With an almost astonished look on her face, Chrys followed the WRO captain out of the basement and into the streets, where they rejoined the fray.

Reno knew that help was on the way when four shots rang out. All of them landed squarely on the blade of the man's weapon. The stranger moved to attack Vincent, but Reno was closer and hit the man in the shins with his EMR, while Rod knocked his elbows with his, causing their assailant's blade to fall to the ground.

Vincent walked up to the attacker and placed the business end of the Cerberus right under his chin. "We want answers, and we'll start with your name." Knowing that he was dead if he didn't answer truthfully, the stranger looked up at Vincent and spat in his face before answering. "My name? Why my name? I'm just a messenger after all. But if you insist. It's Rychal. And you are all invited. Right now, the boss is planning a little "celebration" so to speak. And you are all welcome to it." This perked Reno's interest. "What kind of celebration?" Rychal looked over at him. "A once in a lifetime event. Front row tickets to the end of this miserable planet's existence. And you mother fucking assholes are all gonna die when _they_ return."

Vincent glared at him. "Who, exactly, are _they_?" Their assailant smirked at this. "Only Hojo's Pride and the Nightmare." Reno looked at Vincent. "What's he talking about, man?" Vincent looked back at him and pulled the trigger. "I'll explain later."

To Be Continued…

As with all things, even plans can change. As the chaotic storm that is engulfing the planed escalates, will the few who can stop it be able to counter attack? And what of the stranger with the hood? What is his purpose? Next Formation: Cryptic.

A.n/ - Well? I know that this is probably getting on the nerves of some people. You know what I mean! It's like that song that just doesn't end. Oh well. I guess that this might be the last story here. But I'm not really sure. After this, keep an eye on the internet for the special editions of the stories to show up, as well as a whole… um… I think the word is novel that will contain even more bonus material. Hope you have enjoyed the story thus far.

Thanks and as always, read and review! See ya next time!

-athrun


	2. Cryptic

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII. Hell. I don't even own my own home!

Warning: The violence doth continue. This means more swearing will ensue.

Fading Light

Formation 2

Cryptic

Vincent glared at him. "Who, exactly, are _they_?" Their assailant smirked at this. "Only Hojo's Pride and the Nightmare." Reno looked at Vincent. "What's he talking about, man?" Vincent looked back at him and pulled the trigger. "I'll explain later." And he ran off to take down the other attackers. Rod looked over at Reno. "He sure is…" "Strange? Yeah, whatever. We gotta defend Edge. Now come on!" And the red-head ran off to follow Vincent.

In Nibelheim, the situation was getting Desperate. Gin was running out of bullets, and there was no relief in sight. "We gotta get the people outta here! Tifa! Get Cid! He should know what to do, right?" The brunette nodded and called the pilot, but was interrupted when the phone was shot from her hand by a hooded figure. The stranger walked up to Tifa and grabbed her by the neck, lifting the startled woman into the air. "Why do you resist? You are all going to die in the end, so you should welcome it." The brunette looked down at the person. "Like… hell. For… GET IT!" and she performed Dolphin Kick to break free of her attacker's grip, knocking the person's hood off at the same time, revealing the face of a woman who looked to be her age, with Silver hair. Taken by surprise again, Tifa was off guard long enough for another hooded person to get a hand on her and send her flying into the side of the nearest building.

The other person walked over to the first. "Are you alright, Mirayah?" Mirayah looked up at her savior. "Just fine now, Jayan." "Good. Now we must destroy these two, so he can use this town." The pair had been so busy with their plans that they had failed to notice that Gin had snuck up behind them. "That's just fine, except for one thing: You won't get a chance to kill us. Now, remove the hood." Knowing that he was in no position to make demands, Jayan removed his hood, revealing a scarred and battered face that was partially covered by long blue hair.

As he turned around, he got a good look at Gin. "Damn. Killing your stupid ass wouldn't be as fun. Where's the freak known as Vincent Valentine?" "Don't you dare say anything bad about my father, dickhead," Gin growled. "Got it? Nothing bad and you get to continue your miserable existence." The brawler smirked. "Go ahead and kill me. Unless it's like the boss said and you really are too much of a fucking pussy to do anything." Gin was about to pull the trigger and wipe the intruder from existence when Tifa grabbed his shoulder. "Gin," the brunette pleaded, "don't do it. If you do, you'll be just like them. He's just doing this to toy with your emotions. He's just…" she was cut off when Mirayah delivered a swift kick in the abdomen, sending the brunette flying into a wall.

Gin couldn't control it any longer. With a piercing scream, he pulled the trigger, unloading two whole clips of ammunition into both attackers. When the smoke cleared, all the inhabitants came out of their houses to find Tifa unconscious against one wall, Gin passed out in the middle of the street, face down in a pool of blood, and a third man standing over the lifeless forms that were once Mirayah and Jayan, a rifle held in his outstretched arm. As they watched, this newcomer absorbed the two dead bodies into his own. The newcomer then threw off the cloak that was covering him, revealing a man who stood around 5'8", and had shoulder length brown hair.

The stranger stepped towards where Gin was and was about to fire another round into the boy's head when his gun was sent flying from his hands by a powerful force, which knocked him to the ground. When the dust settled, Vincent could be seen standing over the man, the business end of the Death Penalty planted squarely on the brunette's chest.

"Vincent Valentine. We meet at last. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Gyran. How honored I am that you should show up here. There are some folks who might like to see you." As he knocked the former Turk off him with a single blow, he threw one hand into the air, sending a massive blast of energy rocketing into the sky.

On the other side of the planet, Cloud and Denzel were being kept busy fighting off wave after wave of Shadow Creepers. "What the hell is going on here, Spiky? These mother fuckers just don't know when to stop appearing!" Barret landed with a thud on the ground and began blasting enemies away with his gun-arm. "You better get your happy ass to Nibelheim right away! They need you over there!" The blonde nodded, told Denzel to stay and protect Marlene, and got into the airship and headed to his home town. He arrived just in time to see the energy wave go flying into the air.

To Be Continued

Next time: As with all things, fate has a way of bringing out the worst in people. And for some, that is not what they what to happen. When not one, but two old foes resurface, Things must be done to protect the integrity of not only one's soul, but one's mind as well. Next Formation: Noli Manere.

A.n/ - Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. That was a really short chapter. But it was worth it. I got to create three new characters, and leave one hell of a cliff hanger. Some of the missing pieces will be made a little clearer in the next chapter, I promise. In the meantime, you'll just have to wonder what was going on, as well as leave reviews.

Thanks and see you next chapter!

- athrun


	3. Noli Manere

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII, Dirge of Cerberus, Before Crisis, or anything to that end. Please don't sue my poor broke ass! Arigatou!

Warning: Potentially more swearing and violence this time as well! So deal with it!

Fading Light

By: athrunzala

Formation 3

Noli Manere

On the other side of the planet, Cloud and Denzel were being kept busy fighting off wave after wave of Shadow Creepers. "What the hell is going on here, Spiky? These mother fuckers just don't know when to stop appearing!" Barret landed with a thud on the ground and began blasting enemies away with his gun-arm. "You better get your happy ass to Nibelheim right away! They need you over there!" The blonde nodded, told Denzel to stay and protect Marlene, and got into the airship and headed to his home town. He arrived just in time to see the energy wave go flying into the air.

"Vincent! What's going on here?" the blonde inquired of his friend. "They're coming back." "Who? Who's coming back?" The gunman merely pointed towards the top of the building across the street from them as two men alighted its peak. Almost as if they were one, the pair removed their hoods, revealing the one on the left to be around Cloud's age, with green eyes and spiky silver hair, while the one on the right was an older man, but still had the green eyes, although his were almost invisible amidst the sea of white hair that came forth from his scalp.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't my big brothers! How have you been, traitors?" The blonde shot the man a glare. "Now, Jyram," the man on the right said, "it's not right to insult our victims. We want them to fight us at our full potential." The younger shot him a look that made him seem as though he was about to cry. "Ah, but of course, Hertz, we do want them to put up a good fight. And some of mother's cells are still here, in this town, for us to work with. We will only need a few." Their conversation was halted when Cloud leapt onto the rooftop, Tsurugi in hand.

"I don't know what you're planning, but if it has to do with "mother", then I want no part of it!" and he swung away, but was countered by Hertz, who had pulled Zack's sword off his back. "Ah, yes. You know this blade, don't you?" With a newfound fury burning in his eyes, Cloud swung furiously, finally catching the man in a blade lock. "You, bastard. You have no right to use his sword!" Hertz broke the stalemate and managed to send the blonde rocketing across town, and into the street, where he hit hard. "You'll see, brother. Things are not always as they seem. I'll be seeing you later." And he took off into the air with a mighty leap, leaving Jyram alone.

"I guess that just leaves you, Vincent Valentine. You and your fucked up life. Didn't you know, Lucrecia actually killed herself too keep you away from her. She hated your fucking guts!" The expression on the gunman's face was darkening, which was why Tifa, who was now conscious began dragging Cloud and Gin's unconscious bodies away to a different location. After a short period, Vincent threw out his arms, transforming into the Galean Beast. He used the creature's powerful limbs to quickly cross the square and scale the building, reverting to his original state just in time to avoid the shot from the gunblade in the taunter's hand. This was met with a single blast from the Death Penalty.

But it was all for naught, as Jyram was able to smack the former Turk with the side of his weapon hard enough to send him the same distance that Hertz had sent Cloud. "Pity. And here I thought that you and he would have been a challenge for us." And he took off into the sky, using the same method as his partner. "Three days. We'll be waiting at the Northern Cave for you. You have that long."

As Tifa watched the outlines of the two attackers fading into the distance, she was awestruck. This was a fight that could potentially kill them all. Once she had Gin and Cloud situated, she ran back outside to find that Vincent was already standing back up on his feet.

"Where are they?" The brunette looked at the ground before she gave her answer. "The Northern Cave. They said that you and Cloud have three days. That's all they said." The gunman looked at the ground. "Guess we had better get moving." He took a step, fell to the ground and passed out.

At the Northern Cave, All of the remaining hooded figures were gathered around a group of terrified hostages. "You know what, Kaijar, I think I feel a storm fast approaching." Kaijar turned to where Jyram had indicated. And sure enough, there was the Shera, heading right for the crater. On its top most level, Cloud and Vincent were standing, waiting for the showdown that would determine the fate of the planet once and for all.

"How wonderful. The fools have arrived. Jyram, why don't you give them our welcoming present?" Jyram smirked and picked up the three glowing orbs that were in the corner, inserting them into his arm one at a time. "With pleasure." The blonde then shot three blasts of condensed energy into the sky. "They can deal with one, but how will they handle three?"

The sky burst into black smoke as the three creatures burst forth. They were instantly recognized by Cloud as being the three sacred dragons that they had used against Sephiroth years before. The blonde ran along the airship, waiting for the first creature to get in range, before making a flying leap for its back and destroying it. He then jumped back onto the airship's deck before the creature lost all structural form. Vincent used the Death Penalty to dispose of the second before he and Cloud jumped from the deck and into the rocky abyss. Awaiting them at the bottom was a sight that they had hoped to never see again.

The two who had issued the challenge were both holding identical boxes. Both JENOVA War vets knew what they contained as well. The remnants of the creature that had been the bane of the ancients lay dormant within them. And then the plan became abundantly clear. Their archenemies were back. And they were both ready for a fight. As the descent ended, Hertz and Jyram broke open the seals and removed the contents, shoving them into their bodies. Cloud was met six feet above the ground by a very familiar blade, and Vincent was met at the ground by a pair of gunblades that seemed intent on his demise. Both men landed with their backs to each other, their opponents facing them. "Sephiroth! What do want this time? And don't tell me it's the end of the planet." The SOLDIER Commander looked back at the blonde and chuckled. "Exactly right, Cloud. This time, it is your death that I truly desire." And he leapt forward, being countered mid flight by Cloud's sword, which had been split into two parts, allowing the blonde to dual-wield.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Vincent Valentine. It appears as though your soul has been weakened. Tell me, how is Chaos?" The gunman glared. "Chaos and Omega both returned to the planet, Weiss. You, of all people should know this." "Then I have no purpose using this form." To the former-Turk's surprise, his opponent changed into the very being Cloud had defeated several years earlier. "I guess that I can truly destroy all things now. And, by the way, it's Genesis, not Weiss." And he lunged at the gunman, forcing him back towards the wall.

Back on the airship, Cid was getting nervous. "Damn. I can't even get a good sensor lock. What the hell's goin' on down there?" Tifa walked over to where the pilot was standing. "They knew that it wasn't our fight. They have to handle this alone. We just have to trust that they know what they're doing." Barret, however, was as stubborn as ever. "They still get my standard. I'm givin' 'em both 15 fucking minutes."

Back down in the crater, the situation was worsening. Cloud was getting knocked around like a soccer ball, and Vincent was struggling to keep his distance. It wasn't long before Cloud had been disarmed. "Well, now, Cloud. Looks like I win this time. Any last wishes?" the blonde simply stared at the ground. "SEPHIROTH!" the cry echoed throughout the cavers surrounding the battlefield. The mesa-wielding menace turned, but wasn't fast enough. He was sent flying when the Buster sword hit the blade full swing. As a brown and blue blur shot past, Cloud thought that the person holding the blade looked almost ethereal and otherworldly. "Time to get up, Cloud." The figure said, holding out a gloved hand. The blonde took hold, and his vision cleared. His savior was indeed his old friend from SOLDIER. "But Zack, how can you…" he was cut off when the brunette looked at him and smiled. "Let's take this guy down. Once and for all!" the blonde nodded, picked up his sword, and followed his friend into the fight. This caught Sephiroth off guard, causing his grip to be lost when he went to counter the strike, sending Masamune hurling at Genesis, impaling and killing him instantly. The commander then found himself in three pieces as three blades went through his body.

Zack's image then faded to reveal the source of his physical body, Denzel. "Sorry, Cloud. I had to help you. Couldn't let you die now. Tifa would have killed me!" The blonde nodded and then fell over and passed out. Vincent, having now recovered from the shock of not being allowed to fight his own battle, walked over to where the youth stood. "Can you get him out of here? I've gotta go see Reno. I need something." Denzel nodded and picked up Cloud, as well as the sword and walked out of the crevice.

To Be Continued…

Next Time: When mysteries end, others begin anew. What could Vincent possibly get from Reno? Will Cloud ever find out who really helped him? Where did the dark side get all those cookies? Next Chapter: Returns.

A.n./ - Alrighty. The last question was answered for me by my brother. Apparently, he supplies all of the cookies to the dark side, and thus, they get all their cookies from him. Now that that's out of the way, I know that this was slightly longer than I had planned for a wait between chapters, but it will only get worse as time progresses. I have many things that I am working on at this point, including, but not limited to:

1) Ichigo Kurosaki costumes (5 of them)

2) Vincent Valentine costume (1 of them, and it's the one with the cape)

3) Yuna and Shelke costumes for my little sister

4) Weiss costume for my brother

5) Comic project being done only in black and white.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Other that those, my life consists of school, eating, sleeping, and the various other mundane tasks that comprise life. This is merely a side quest that I am finding less and less time for. As a result, this might be my last story for a while.


	4. Returns

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII, Advent Children, Dirge of Cerberus, Before Crisis, Crisis Core, or any of the rights to anything of the sort. They all belong to Square Enix, and I am simply borrowing them for use in this continuation of the story line. So kindly refrain from suing me.

Warning: This is probably the only chapter that doesn't deserve the rating the story has received thus far. So be warned, I also remove several people from their own element, so you'll just have to bear with me.

Several weeks later

"What… Where am I?" The blonde sat up and rubbed his head. It felt as though it was about to explode. "You're at home." Cloud looked around for the source of the voice, and found that he was in the upstairs guest room in Tifa's house in Nibelheim. "How did I get here?" The brunette looked back at her husband, and couldn't help but giggle. "You really don't know, do you?" When the blonde shook his head, she sat down on the bed next to him and told him everything about the fight and how he had gotten out.

Fading Light

By athrunzala

Formation 4:

Returns

In Healin, Reno was shocked when Vincent showed up at the door. "So what's going on?" The gunman looked at him and said, "I need to see the president." "Alright, but I'm not sure what he'll say about this one." Making a mental note to ponder what reasons Vincent might have for wanting see the president later, the red head led his companion to the room where Rufus was busying himself with paperwork and knocked on the door. Upon hearing the familiar "Enter" the Turk opened the door and showed Vincent inside.

"Mr. Valentine. What can I do for you?" "Cut the crap, Rufus." "Alright, I can see you mean business. What is it you need?" "A suit." The blonde was puzzled by this statement. "Why do you need a suit, Vincent?" "My suit. I want back in." The blonde scratched his head. "I'm sorry. Could you please tell me what you mean when you say "back in"?" "Look in your database. ID number GAI-106. You'll see what I mean." Not wanting to get shot, Rufus typed the number into the computer. Sure enough, it returned a hit. "So, you were once a Turk, eh?" The gunman nodded. "I was one of the best. It all ended when I was shot by Professor Hojo. He used me in his experiments while I was assigned to the protection of Doctor Lucrecia Crescent. I need my suit back. It'll help me to cope."

"So you want to re-join the Turks?" The gunman nodded. "Alright then. Your previous status is restored. You are now able to resume your duties. And, as soon as you are ready, I have a job for you. Perfect for somebody with your talents." The gunman nodded and walked out of the room to go and find Rude, who was waiting with the suit. After changing, Reno handed Vincent a folder. "This is the job the boss said he had for you. Be careful, Trigger." Vincent shot Reno a glare that could have killed him if the gunman's eyes had been gun barrels. "Alright, Vincent. I won't call you Trigger anymore!" and the red head backed off. "I'll be back later on. You can count on that."

On the southern most island, Barret Wallace was busy doing some surveying when something caught his eye. "Wonder what the hell that could be?" and he headed down to the shore to examine it closer. Upon his arrival, his expression turned from one of curiosity to one of panic. "Holy shit! I gotta' get to Spiky!"

Back on the main continent, Vincent was busy investigating Mako Reactor Zero. Even though Weiss was no longer around, there had been reports of activity in the region, and the president had wanted him, since he knew the layout, to investigate. Sure enough, upon his entry, he was ambushed by several units of Deep Ground Soldiers. Using the Cerberus, as he had done years before, he took them out quickly, and proceeded deeper into the structure.

When he came across a hole that hadn't been there when he took out Omega, he decided to investigate and jumped in. about three feet into his fall, he hit an opening in a pipe and was swept along its path. As far as how long he was in the dark, he couldn't have been sure, but upon his emergence, he was shocked at what he saw. The hole led right to where the real Weiss lay, his body broken and shattered, crushed beneath the rubble from where he and Vincent had fought years earlier. As for everything else, it appeared as though Deep Ground had attempted to rebuild, but abandoned the project. As the gunman left the room, he entered the lock code into the computer, sealing the room from any further entry.

No sooner had he left the old Shinra building when his phone rang. When he picked up, he was shocked to hear Cloud on the other end. "Cloud, what's going on? You never call." Back in Nibelheim, the blonde was shocked at his response. "What do you mean? I've called loads of times since Omega was destroyed." "But while I'm working?" "Oh. Sorry. In any case, just get back to Edge. Tifa just called. Barret found something that might be of interest to you." The gunman's eyes grew wide. "Of interest… to… me… I'll be there as soon as I can," was the last thing the blonde heard before the sound of an ended phone call.

"But why? Why can't I get up and walk around?" "Because you've got Mako Poisoning You washed up exactly where Cloud did while we were fighting Sephiroth." "Oh. But I wanna walk! I know I can!" the brunette looked at her friend, smiled and said, "Alright. But it's your funeral." As the woman got out of the bed, she began to stand and walk on wobbly legs. It was when she fell to the ground that she realized that perhaps standing, of all things, was not going to be amongst the accomplishable tasks for the next few days.

Outside of Edge, Vincent met up with Reeve, who promised to help Vincent out with a few problems that he had with Mako Reactor Zero. Upon entering Edge, the gunman headed straight to Tifa's bar.

Of all the people who you would never expect to show up wearing a suit, Tifa had never dreamed she'd see Vincent do just that, much less sport a Shin-Ra ID badge. "Vincent! How are you?" The gunman nodded and became his usual straight-forward self again. "What did you find?" the brunette reached under the counter, and pulled out Yuffie's headband. "Where did you find this?" "Barret found it near the ruins of Mideel. That's all he could tell me." "Right. Thank you Tifa. You guys did your best." And he turned and left. "Is he gone?" "Yes. He just left." The woman wiped her brow. "You have no clue how hard it is to hide from him." "Oh, I could imagine. Try finding Cloud." The two women laughed, and walked to the back of the bar, where they sat down to lunch.

Back in Lucrecia's cave, Vincent was sitting and reminiscing about the time he had spent with Yuffie. "Lucrecia, I failed her. I realize this now. I wasn't able to properly protect her, and now, now she's…" He choked up remembering how he had held her in his arms the night she had died. The look that she had given him still lingered through all of the time that had passed. Unable to stand it any longer, the Turk drew his gun and walked into the water in front of the massive crystalline formation. As he did so, he slowly raised it to his head. The moment he was in front of Lucrecia, he pulled the trigger, sending three bullets into his head, causing him to fall down, a look of remorse locked onto his now lifeless face.

Only a few miles away, the sight of several flocks of startled birds drove Cloud to investigate the source of the disturbance. Upon arriving at the cave, he entered, and discovered the sole occupant, his friend, lying face down in the water. The blonde ran over to his friend's motionless body when he didn't respond to his calls. "Damn you, Vincent. She's not even dead, and you go and shoot yourself to be with her. How fucking stupid are you?" And he picked him up and carried the gunman out of the cave to Fenrir.

Back in Edge, Tifa was frantically re-arranging the bar to be used as an emergency Operating Room. Despite the fact that she knew Vincent's body was damn near indestructible, she wasn't sure what a bullet to the head would do. "What's going on here?" The brunette looked at her friend. "Cloud found him! He's hurt bad, and I'm gonna get the bullet out."

Within minutes of her saying that, Cloud burst through the door, carrying an unconscious Vincent Valentine on his shoulders. Vincent regained consciousness momentarily when he was slammed on the table, and noticed the figure in the doorway. "Yuffie… You're… alive…" His eyes rolled back into his head and he passed out.

"Vincent!" Yuffie made a run at his body, which lay motionless on the bar. "If you want to save him, then you need to come with me and you have to relax." Yuffie thought she knew the voice, and turned to see who it came from. "Elena! But I thought that you and Tseng were…" The blonde Turk shook her head. "I'll admit, we have been busy, but that doesn't mean that we can't help our friends out every now and again."

"But… I failed them… Why… Why are they trying to help me?" And he passed out.

"Vincent."

"I completely failed at protecting her. Why would she even want to look at me again?"

"Vincent… You're in my spot."

The voice finally brought the Turk out of his thoughts. "Lucre… er… Dr. Crescent! What are you doing here? I thought that you were at your lab?"

"I was… but you're up here sleeping. How are you supposed to protect me if you are asleep?"

Vincent blushed slightly as he got up. "I only closed my eyes for a moment. The breeze…"

The brunette nodded and giggled. "Yes. I see what you mean. The warm breeze feels very good. But this is not the true reality. You have somebody waiting for you. Go back to her, Vincent."

"But… Yuffie…"

Go to her, Vincent. Keep my memory in your heart, but go to her. She needs you, Vincent." As the scientist said this, her image blurred and disappeared.

As he sat up, Vincent looked around him. The room was dark, so he was initially unsure of his location. However, as his eyes adjusted to the low light, things slowly came into focus. It slowly dawned on him that he was in the upper living area of Tifa's bar, and was in one of the beds.

As he got up from his reclined position, the door opened, and the person on the other side dropped the tray that they had been carrying. "You're alright! I was so worried!"

"Yuffie…" The gunman said while running a hand through the ninja's hair. "I… I'll never leave you again."

Fin

A.n./ - Well, this ended sooner than I thought that I would…. Oh well. I guess that I have to move on with my writing… not entirely sure though. To all of you who left me reviews and positive criticism, thank you very much. And as always, please go out and read other people's works. This makes them happy as well.

Shortly after writing this chapter, I decided that I was going to revisit the entire series, and create an unabridged version. This should be finished and available for download soon. I only have three additions to make to it. This means that there will be a grand total of three extra chapters that didn't make the cut for the original release of the story that will be added in to make things flow a little smoother.

I would also like to thank all of my pre-readers. These people pushed me to get off my lazy bum and finish these portions before allowing me to start on anything else. Thanks you guys!

Until the re-release, Ja ne!

- athrun


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